Herbicides, Rainfall, Tank-mixture, Transplanted rice, Weeds
The puddled transplanted rice is infested with mix of grasses, sedges and broad-leaf weeds in Northern India. For control of mixed weed flora, different herbicide combinations were evaluated in a field experiment conducted in summer of 2012 and 2013 at Ludhiana. The experimental field was infested with Echinochloa spp., Ischaemum rugosum, Caesulia axillaris, Cyperus iria and Ammania baccifera. The performance of pre- or early post-emergence herbicides applied alone was poorer during 2012 (dry year). The differential rainfall during both the years influenced the efficacy of herbicides. The herbicide treatments integrated with hand weeding recorded good weed control during both the years. Pre-emergence application of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl at 20 g/ha + one hand weeding or bispyribac-sodium 25 g/ha applied as alone or as tank-mix with ethoxysulfuron 18.7 g/ha recorded the highest weed control efficacy, rice grain yield and net returns during both the years and seemed to be the best ways of controlling complex weed flora and enhancing productivity and profitability from transplanted rice.